Hello from the other side

7 May 2017

Don't worry, this is not a post about Adele. Not that an Adele themed blogpost wouldn't be awesome. I'm simply stealing the words for the title, as they are the most accurate description on how I feel right now. It's been six weeks since the birth my son, yet I feel like it's been six billion light years. Life before his birth feels far, far away.

But while I'm navigating the haze of being a new parent, much has been happening on the plastic bag campaign here in Australia. Popular news TV show The Project have joined forces with Clean Up Australia, calling on the final three states without plastic ban policies, NSW, Victoria and WA, to #banthebag. An online petition was set up and sent out, amassing over 100,000 signatures in under a week. Technically, State governments don't view online petitions like these with much legitimacy. Even though it's not a legit petition, the call to arms has helped keep the conversation on plastic pollution afloat. The Project and Clean Up Australia also stressed the importance of contacting local MPs and the three State Premiers via phone, letter and email. This has been particularly essential, with the upcoming report from the inquiry into banning plastic bags in Victoria being released on the 25th of May. Fingers crossed that The Project and Clean Up Australia's campaign is the final push needed to get my state to act.

Back at home, there is other news. The Builder bought a house. I wrote a post back at the end of last year, about how we would be staying in our present home and not moving. We even ripped up the old garden to grow vegetables. The best laid plans of mice and men, often go awry, right? It's an old house, built at the turn of the century, and it requires a lot of work. I'm not sure what possessed my husband to decided the move. I did have a rather nasty fall down our stairs while five months pregnant (baby was fine, I was bruised black and blue) and I wonder if that was the catalyst to look for a single story home. Our aim with the renovation, is to reduce the need for any heating and cooling. And the Builder is already salvaging materials to build with. The grand vegetable garden we were to plant this autumn is now being taken over with weeds. We figured there would be no point putting effort into growing vegetables, if we are going to sell the house half way through the winter season.

I also wrote in that same blog post that we would be a one car family. That also went out the window and we are now the proud owners of a secondhand Camry Hybrid. Turns out the Builder's ute did not have the needed contraptions to fit a baby capsule. Getting around the city without a car is fine, and i've been doing it for the past six weeks. However, if we wanted to drive up to see my parents or go on any family adventures outside the city, then we would have been stuck.

Australia's versions of The War on Waste TV show is debuting May 16th on the ABC. I worked behind the scenes on the show with the producers. I am super excited to watch it and see where conversations go on the topic of waste in this country. I'm SO excited that I decided to do a giveaway the week it airs. If you live in Australia, watch out for the giveaway on my Instagram and Facebook.

By the way, our bub will be referred to as Tif/Tifl on the blog. This is his actual nickname. During pregnancy we called the bump Tifl, an Arabic word for baby. The Builder is Aussie Lebanese, hence the Arabic. Anyway, the nickname stuck and we continue to call him Tif or Tifl.

Finally, thank you for all the well wishes over the last six weeks. My inbox, instagram, facebook and even mailbox was inundated with sweet words. Your messages made me smile. It's nice to be back here, from the other side.

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Hello & Welcome

I've been writing about my own journey since 2013 sharing how I've reduced plastic and my rubbish, leading to a happier and healthier life. Through my pursuit to live plastic-free and zero-waste, I've learnt to eat real food, discovered new skills, cut down my exposure to harmful chemicals, found joy in moments over things and simplified my life, while saving money.

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